Oy to The World

This picture does a remarkable job of summarizing my feelings towards Christmas these days:


As I type this, there is an enormous Christmas concert taking place outside my window in the street. Maybe if I were naive or a child again, I would gobble it up with glee. At this point in my life though, Christmas is ugly to me. It's just an excuse for people to consume more useless crap and force enthusiasm about something that at the heart of it all, no one really believes in. As an atheist, I cringe upon hearing all the shmaltzy Jesus songs. Something else that makes me cringe is if you mention your ire for the holidays to people, often your opinion is met with snarls of hatred and disapproval. It's considered treason by some to loathe the holidays. In some people's eyes, hating the holidays is as bad as kicking a kitten in the stomach. I think what I'm most upset about is how cynical I've become. There was a time when I could get it up for a rousing rendition of "Jingle Bells". Now though, I sit with a furrowed brow at my desk miserably typing away with earplugs stuffed in my head to drown out the sound of merriment that's streaming in through my window. Well, as a wise-man once said, "Bah Humbug."